Adiamante (Mass Market Paperback)

by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Author) "If the conversation had been offline and spoken, neither of which was possible within the working systems contained in the adiamante hull of the Gibson,..." (more)
Key Phrases: planetary coordinator, residential bloc, bullet shuttles, Old Earth, Majer Henslom, The Flight (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Earth was once the capital of an interstellar empire, but now it's just another inhabited planet in a forgotten universal order. Its citizens survive through kindness, environmental conservation and non-aggression. But humanity's great strides toward erasing its violent past are threatened when 12 ships made of indestructible adiamante appear in orbit. The ships are from a former colony bent on subjugating the Earth and its inhabitants. But the strict ethics that have helped revitalize the Earth may be its downfall, as the human homeworld struggles to find a way to save itself without violating its new-found principles. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
In the far future, humanity is scattered among the stars and has divided into many subgroups. On Old Earth itself, after many wars and disasters, society is based on conservation and non-aggression. But the resilience of this culture is tested when a hostile fleet of 12 spaceships appears in orbit around the planet. Built of adiamante, a nearly indestructible material, the ships have been sent by a former colony bent on revenge. Narrator Ecktor deJanes, Earth's temporary coordinator, has to prevent the fleet from sterilizing the planet. He's not without resources, as it turns out. But he's bound by a code of honor that mandates that "those with great power must exercise equally great responsibility." Modesitt avoids the digressions and lingering scholarly points that sometimes slow his popular Recluce series, though his narrative here does get didactic at times ("For all our nets, for all our communications, humans... are aliens, aliens to each other and to the universe, and that is why we must trust"). If he doesn't always fully explain the technological distinctions and intricacies of his elaborate far-future Earth, he nevertheless paints an absorbing picture of this world and how it became what it is.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812545583
• ISBN-13: 978-0812545586
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #430,706 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an inverted storytelling approach, September 27, 2002

By	shari l brooks (pacifica, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This is the first L. E. Modesitt book I picked up, and it was a pretty entertaining read. It sustains through a second read too, for the presentation of the two different cultures remains consistent throughout.

I found the approach unexpected - even though by the end of chapter 3 there is little doubt about how the story will conclude, that leaves room for an amazing amount of suspense in just what the path will be to get to that foregone conclusion. Also the changes in points of view - first person for the demi and third person for the cybs - are a good way to unrelentingly underscore the impersonal outlook of the cybs as opposed to the demi's beliefs that life must be lived "whole-body".

All in all the best science fiction book I have read in a while. I realize it's been published for some time but that just means it's still worthwhile to browse outside of the newly-published book selections.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story of conflict and great responsibility., October 8, 1998

By A Customer

Adiamante seems to follow the underlying theme that most of Modesitt's works incorporate. Once again there is found a people who wish nothing more than to be left alone, yet are forced to protect themselves at great price. Modesitt continues to write of the inherent lack of understanding by most people. There are those characters that will not listen to reason. They must go their own course untill they are forced to act differently. The main characters cannot, by their very nature, act in a pre-emptive manner for any reason. Modesitt's developement of the ideas expressed in the "Paradigms of Power" and the "Construct" work excellently with this theme. All in all a good read and I look forward to the next book sent forth.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Idealogy, October 2, 1998

By A Customer

The true litmus test is whether a book is remembered or forgotten, and this book is not easily forgotten. I read this over 5 months ago, and I still find myself mulling over the demi ideology. I love the idea that if you want to have power in society, you must pay society for the privilege.